Boulder-area analyst feels 8-4 is as plausible for Colorado football as 4-8

The Boulder Daily Camera's Pat Rooney believes Deion Sanders' Colorado football program has the same chances of going 8-4 as they do of going 4-8 during the 2024 sequel season of "Prime Time" at CU.

"I’ll say this: 2024 marks the eighth year I’ve done a prediction column, and I can’t recall another instance when I’d be equally un-surprised if CU went 4-8 as 8-4," Rooney wrote. "This bunch seems equally capable of making a run as watching the wheels fall off."

In many ways, Rooney's assessment is a roundabout way of saying this team has both a high ceiling and low floor. There was a similar feeling last year, but this team has the advantage of knowing what worked and what didn't. Shedeur Sanders has a new big-play threat in LaJohntay Wester who can slide right into Xavier Weaver's role. Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn Jr. are back, though. The running back room was overhauled, but there was not much production lost anyway. Then there's a nearly reconstructed defense that kept the lead playmakers and brought in new potential stars up front.

Pat Shurmur's offense was brought back. Robert Livingston was brought on to help Buffs players understand the pace NFL defenses operate at.

Rooney's take is measured; certainly more measured than other projections, like a 1-7 start and Coach Prime's dismissal from Boulder.

Deion Sanders will always have boom-or-bust rosters at Colorado football

Coach Prime committed to Colorado being a boom-or-bust program. Every. Single. Year. That's what the 40-40-20 model breeds.

80% of a roster being built on transfers is always going to lead to unpredictability.

Of course, if CU goes 4-8 again, the Buffs won't have the 8-4 confidence until further notice. There's only so much goodwill fans and the media will have, even if the program didn't have these expectations before Sanders arrived.

Things change quickly in college football. While Coach Prime won't be fired, those conversations will be inescapable if the bar isn't raised any higher than it is now.